LOL at that intro drawing, I'm saving that for later. Thanks as always for sharing - especially 0108, 0114, 0120 (our neighborhood pair has been making an almost-nightly appearance and it feels like a blessing each time), 0122 (the dog hair as second garment is real), and 0127.
I’ve been taking a go at this myself, and I’m wondering when in the day you find yourself writing. Is it in the moment, or an end-of-day reflection? It’s a habit that doesn’t feel intuitive yet, but I think I just need to find the rhythm of it.
Here’s a few from last month (leaving out some that feel more personal) -
- Jan. 1: New year, new day, new anxiety.
- Jan. 4: Pro tip to CEOs: your employees will come to the office a lot more when you offer free massages. (Yes, I can be bribed with earthly delights.)
- Jan. 8: Sometimes it’s okay to answer the question “when will things be better?” with “tomorrow.”
- Jan. 11: I know I don’t have chlorophyll in my cells, but based on how much I benefit from solar energy, I swear I’m photosynthetic.
- Jan. 12: Let’s play “did I accidentally get a full-caffeine cappuccino, or is this just good old anxiety?”
- Jan. 13: I’m starting to realize that temperature, like so many numbers experienced, is a little bit subjective.
- Jan. 14: I wouldn’t mind living life more frequently at the pace of bread.
- Jan. 16: I’d like to be a little less disappointed with a perfectly mediocre day.
- Jan. 17: More times than not, some effort is better than no effort at all.
- Jan. 19: Sometimes you just need a nap, and then some water, and then all is better.
- Jan. 23: Long days are so much easier to survive when there’s less time to think about how long of a day it really is.
- Jan. 27: Running down a full battery feels much better than running down a half battery.
- Jan. 28: The definition of leisure is the liberty to operate outside of the human clock pace.
These are marvelous! (I won’t say “delicious”!!). I’m in the same Jan. 4 mood as you. I don’t have any sentences to share yet but this practice intrigues me so I’m starting it today. 🥰
Not that it matters, but the link is to a post by Anna Kode´; it's really not a bad article either. My problem, if it can be described as such, is this idea that we can't ever just be. If your entire day from waking to sleeping is constant insanity, why bring a pen and paper along so even those 18 minutes you may have to yourself on a subway are now full of doing, too? Well, I mean, I'D have a pen and paper, but then I also wouldn't live in a place where I take the subway. What's my point? Do I have one? Probably not...or maybe it's this: the difference between what you do and she recommends doing are two very different things. Swimming through the daily and seeing it, smelling it, hearing it, feeling it, a near face full of hawk *chef's kiss*...which is as close as I'll get to calling your sentences that word.
Also, I feel this one in my bones: "There’s nothing beautiful and meaningful in the world that can’t be ruined by grant wrestling and the nonprofit industrial complex"
The humble acknowledgement that there's so much good about technology as I record a few chirps from a nearby bird on the Merlin app and I become so excited to discover I'm looking at a backlit and otherwise almost unrecognizable ruby-crowned kinglet and my day is charmed for the rest of its hours.
Thanks for the inspiration Chris! And I loved the hill. Lol
What a great month's worth! In my teaching career, I often say "this is not the mountain I'm going to die on," so your observation has great force for me. Also, I have been pissed if about Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill since 1984, for all the good that's done me. And all it takes is one hit Broadway musical to knock the idea of Harriet Tubman on the $10 bill clean out of the discourse. Let's replace Jackson with Tubman. Or Crazy Horse. Or oh, so many others.
And as a fifth grade teacher, I can tell you that the phrase "a new batch of 4th graders" rings a deep knell of foreboding here.
Oh, I love these gorgeous one-sentence truths. Thank you for sharing them. I very much want to try this practice. I'm curious about your process, do you revise and edit them? Mentally compose sentences throughout the day? Apologies if you've written about this practice before and I missed it.
As always, I love your articles Chris! Wanted to let you know that one of your daily poems really stuck with me this week, as I've been going through some of these things.
2024_0102: Weathering the indignation over a perceived slight is an excellent reminder that post-holing the drifted snows of the high road is how one gets truly magnificent quads and hamstrings.
I also just pre-ordered a copy of your book! Congrats on finishing it and I cannot wait to read.
LOL at that intro drawing, I'm saving that for later. Thanks as always for sharing - especially 0108, 0114, 0120 (our neighborhood pair has been making an almost-nightly appearance and it feels like a blessing each time), 0122 (the dog hair as second garment is real), and 0127.
I’ve been taking a go at this myself, and I’m wondering when in the day you find yourself writing. Is it in the moment, or an end-of-day reflection? It’s a habit that doesn’t feel intuitive yet, but I think I just need to find the rhythm of it.
Here’s a few from last month (leaving out some that feel more personal) -
- Jan. 1: New year, new day, new anxiety.
- Jan. 4: Pro tip to CEOs: your employees will come to the office a lot more when you offer free massages. (Yes, I can be bribed with earthly delights.)
- Jan. 8: Sometimes it’s okay to answer the question “when will things be better?” with “tomorrow.”
- Jan. 11: I know I don’t have chlorophyll in my cells, but based on how much I benefit from solar energy, I swear I’m photosynthetic.
- Jan. 12: Let’s play “did I accidentally get a full-caffeine cappuccino, or is this just good old anxiety?”
- Jan. 13: I’m starting to realize that temperature, like so many numbers experienced, is a little bit subjective.
- Jan. 14: I wouldn’t mind living life more frequently at the pace of bread.
- Jan. 16: I’d like to be a little less disappointed with a perfectly mediocre day.
- Jan. 17: More times than not, some effort is better than no effort at all.
- Jan. 19: Sometimes you just need a nap, and then some water, and then all is better.
- Jan. 23: Long days are so much easier to survive when there’s less time to think about how long of a day it really is.
- Jan. 27: Running down a full battery feels much better than running down a half battery.
- Jan. 28: The definition of leisure is the liberty to operate outside of the human clock pace.
These are marvelous! (I won’t say “delicious”!!). I’m in the same Jan. 4 mood as you. I don’t have any sentences to share yet but this practice intrigues me so I’m starting it today. 🥰
Not that it matters, but the link is to a post by Anna Kode´; it's really not a bad article either. My problem, if it can be described as such, is this idea that we can't ever just be. If your entire day from waking to sleeping is constant insanity, why bring a pen and paper along so even those 18 minutes you may have to yourself on a subway are now full of doing, too? Well, I mean, I'D have a pen and paper, but then I also wouldn't live in a place where I take the subway. What's my point? Do I have one? Probably not...or maybe it's this: the difference between what you do and she recommends doing are two very different things. Swimming through the daily and seeing it, smelling it, hearing it, feeling it, a near face full of hawk *chef's kiss*...which is as close as I'll get to calling your sentences that word.
Also, I feel this one in my bones: "There’s nothing beautiful and meaningful in the world that can’t be ruined by grant wrestling and the nonprofit industrial complex"
If I wasn't so broke, I would relish burning every $20 bill that crosses my path. Burn Andrew Jackson, burn — you banished us from our homelands.
I am gonna chuckle about that illustration for DAYS. *chef's kiss*
Like a child on Christmas morning, I clap in glee when I see new sentences! Thanks for your perspective.
The humble acknowledgement that there's so much good about technology as I record a few chirps from a nearby bird on the Merlin app and I become so excited to discover I'm looking at a backlit and otherwise almost unrecognizable ruby-crowned kinglet and my day is charmed for the rest of its hours.
Thanks for the inspiration Chris! And I loved the hill. Lol
What a great month's worth! In my teaching career, I often say "this is not the mountain I'm going to die on," so your observation has great force for me. Also, I have been pissed if about Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill since 1984, for all the good that's done me. And all it takes is one hit Broadway musical to knock the idea of Harriet Tubman on the $10 bill clean out of the discourse. Let's replace Jackson with Tubman. Or Crazy Horse. Or oh, so many others.
And as a fifth grade teacher, I can tell you that the phrase "a new batch of 4th graders" rings a deep knell of foreboding here.
So many thoughts here to savor (oops) and ponder … “the tax our entitled comfort relentlessly forces on the world”
I know, Paul Kingsnorth did take a turn toward the insufferable, didn’t he?
Oh, I love these gorgeous one-sentence truths. Thank you for sharing them. I very much want to try this practice. I'm curious about your process, do you revise and edit them? Mentally compose sentences throughout the day? Apologies if you've written about this practice before and I missed it.
The rhythm of this month, these sentences . . . deeply musical.
And 12 flickers, all at once? I am officially jealous.
As always, I love your articles Chris! Wanted to let you know that one of your daily poems really stuck with me this week, as I've been going through some of these things.
2024_0102: Weathering the indignation over a perceived slight is an excellent reminder that post-holing the drifted snows of the high road is how one gets truly magnificent quads and hamstrings.
I also just pre-ordered a copy of your book! Congrats on finishing it and I cannot wait to read.
Loved “Familiar terrain becomes unexplored wilderness in the billowing fog of the Grass Valley this morning.”!
I enjoy these snippets and think they are a great practice for anyone who wants to be more observant.
I pre-ordered my copy of the book a week ago and received confirmation from your friends at the bookshop. Much obliged.
Yes! Happy Imbolc y'all! Thanks for remembering, Chris!